So I Went And Saw The Hunger Games...
Entry posted by Eyru
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...and loved it.
Film adaptations that match the book are exceedingly rare, and those that surpass the book are rarer still. This film doesn't quite reach that mark, but it was a surprisingly accurate and enjoyable adaptation of an excellent book.
One factor in its success, I believe, was that nothing major was left out of the film. Most adaptations end up cutting out huge swaths of the book because there's simply too much detail, but The Hunger Games isn't one of those. It was incredibly faithful to the source material, and as a result it was as thrilling as the book,
Jennifer Lawrence does an excellent job of portraying the aloof Katniss, and Josh Hutcherson plays Peeta straight out of the book. The rest of the cast feels as though they were created for the sole purpose of playing their roles, especially Woody Harrelson as Haymitch and Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman. It was almost surreal watching them, because they looked exactly as I had envisioned the characters while reading.
That said, it's not perfect. There is some stuff missing; the book is written in first person, after all, so there's no way to truly understand Katniss like you do when reading the book. And yes, there are a few details I would have changed. But anything missing is so small that you'll blink and miss it. Overall, the movie does a great job of staying true to the book and to the characters.
I wasn't expecting brilliance, but The Hunger Games blew my expectations out of the water. It was a thrilling, moving, high-paced joyride that, honestly, you have to see, whether you've read the book or not. The book is phenomenal, but the film does it proud. If you go see it, you won't regret it. I saw it, and I didn't regret it. In fact, I'm even thinking of going and seeing it again.
Now, I don't like giving scores, because it's difficult to translate all my opinions and emotions into a number. Sciences to humanities, right? But if I had to rate this movie, it wouldn't be anything less than a 9/10, no matter how you look at it. The Hunger Games is an exceptional film. Period.
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